To meet the increasingly strict environmental requirements, select environmental technologies, strong environmental management skills, and a demonstrated ability to cost-effectively match local needs with the available resources and know-how will be necessary. Local capacity will also have to be strengthened significantly in order to successfully compete in the environmental technology market. The Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) supports the development of this market by matching technology needs with solutions and by building the capacity of environmental professionals in the region. This publication represents one of the REC's initiatives in this area.
Focusing on the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, this survey is the second in a series of REC reports examining the environmental technology market in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The first report, surveying the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, was published in December 1997.
The reports present the general environmental market situation and a review of environmental problems, priorities and project opportunities. The major players within each environmental sector, the technologies in demand, and the niche markets for technology and service suppliers are also examined. The survey reviews the major end-users of environmental technologies within each environmental sector and the advantages and disadvantages of local and foreign suppliers. In addition, the current report is supplemented with an environmental business and government directory of the Baltic countries. By understanding the environmental situation in each of these countries, the relative demand for technologies, the key players, and the purchasing behavior of buyers, the reader will be better prepared to identify opportunities in this growing market.
The country surveys were conducted using a standardized methodology which helped to ensure the comparability of information. Gerald Fancoj compiled the survey questions, format and concept, managed the project and edited the report, while the following in-country consultants conducted the in-country surveys: Stockholm Environment Institute (Estonia); Center for Environmental Science and Management Studies, University of Latvia (Latvia); and Institute for Environmental Engineering, Kaunas University of Technology (Lithuania).
Jerome Simpson copy edited the report, and Reuben Stern proof read the pages. The design and layout of the report was done by Reuben Stern and Sylvia Magyar. Special thanks go to Kelly Duffy of the International Institute for Sustainable Development for her invaluable input in analyzing the collected information and compiling the report.
Finally, we gratefully acknowledge the generous contributions of the Ministry of Environment of Finland and the Ministry of Environment of Norway which made this project possible.
I would like to thank all the contributors to this report.
Pawel Kazmierczyk
Project Manager, Business Services